Automatic tracking device



Patented Jan. 30, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HERBERT CHASE, OF NEW" YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC TRACKING DEVICE.

Application filed June 6, 1916, Serial No. 101,884. Renewed August 8, 1921.

Be it known that I, .lb ari-i llfnisnrn'r Crnxsn, a citizen of the Uni il blt-ates, residing` in the city of New York, in the County of New York, State of Nei-,v York. have invented an improvement in Automatic Tracking Devices7 of Which the following;

a speciiication.

Tl' in `.'ention rebites to imj;rovenients in automatic or semi-zuitoniatic player pianos in which :i nerforated note Shoe.V is passed over a tracker bar having a series of apertu *e thcroiin so that the poi'i'orations inl the note .sheet upon rcgist ring' with 'the apertnres in the tracker bar cause the sounding of notes in proper sequence by piano player mechanism. The inyention relatos particularly to means for securing the proper registration of the perforations in the note sheet With the apertures in the tracker bar, such mechanism being commonly termed a tracking device.

For purposes of illustration and description a preferred eniborgliment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings and therein;

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically and substantially in vertical longitudinal section. a mechanism constructed in accordance With the present invention by Which proper alignment or lateral adjustment between note sheet and tracker bar may be automatically secnred; and

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, on reduced scale.

Referring to the drawings Which show an Ordinary spool box such as is commonly found in player pianos. a removable note sheet snool 1 is inounted between a spring pressed hearing and a. longitudinally slidablc bcarimr I jonrnalcd respcetively in the left and ri; it hand Walls of the spool box. ri`he left hand hearing' comprises a shaft l: journaled iu suitable manner und norinallh' pressed to the right by a fing The right hand hearing comprises a shaft 6 suitably journaled in the Wall of the spool box and having' means to engage the fiange of the music sheet spool Which may be inserted between the bearings. The shaft 6 has a collar '7 to limit its movement to the right and a collar S to limit its movement to the left. Integral With the shaft 6 is a pinion 9 through Which the spool may be driven Serial No. 490,810.

in re'iyinding the music sheet thercon. A take-up roll 10 is also suitably journaled in the spool box and is provided with a gear 11 by Which it mag,Y be rotated to cause a note sheet 12 to be Wound thereon during:r the operation of the instrument.

The means herein shown 'tor securing the proper alignment of the n'zusic sheet as it passes over a tracker bar l coinprises mechanism operable by the edge of the music sheet and pneuinatic means foi' the note sheet iaterally oi For the purpose of simp ng the tracking' device7 means are shown 'aor nim/'inc` only the note sheet spool; the same being herein shown as a bellows 14 having an arm 15 connected to its movable board and a rod 16 piyoted to the arm 15. The rod 16 bears against the upper end of a levei' 17 fulcrumed at 18 and hearing; against the right hand end of the shaft at 19. It will be apparent that as the pneumatic 11 is collapsed more or less the shaft (3 and the note sheet spool Will he moved to the left, and that as the pncumatic 14: is allowed to ei:- pand the note sheet spool will move to the right under the action of the spring: Means are herein provided for collapsing the pneumatic l-/lmore or less, the said means being governcd by the position of the left hand edge of the note sheet. The bellouis controlling;` means will be next described.

lVounted in the left hand Wall of the spool box is a ralye mechanisii 20 adaptcd by its action under the guidanee of the edge of the note sheet to control a port located in a connection between bellows list and a source of exhaust. This Valve is ineferably of cylindrical construction and has a disc mountcd upon :1 sha'ft The shaft of the Yaire carrics lwo pistons 253 and Bl one of said pistons contrtdlinf; a port 535 in the cylindriral ralie ras-fine uljiasting;` the tracker bar.

CTI

.note

Thus if the piston 23 is inored to the right to place duct in coinnninieathin With duo-t 28 air Will be exhausted from bellows and through the 'train of mechanisn'i'previously described Will inove the music sheet spool to the left. Siinilarly if the piston is moved to the left it Will place duct 27 in communication With the atinosphere and allow the bellows 1-1: 'to expand under the action of spring. 5, thereby permitting` the music sheet spool to more to the right.

In operation it is desired that the `piston be controlled in its position by the edge of the music sheet and foi`` this purpose it is essential that Vthe. disc 21 be caused to bear against the edge of the music sheet light-ly Without undue tendenoy to tear or fray the edge of the paper. rl`he ineans herein pro- Vioed to insure a light hearing; of 'the disc 21 against the edge of the paper are shown .as operating` pnenmatically. ln other Words, pneuina'tio pressure causing the disc to bear against the edge of the sheet is employed instead of the usual. spring' pres:-;..re or that n'essure provided by a Weight and leror.

To the left of the piston 2d is a port 31 by Which atniospheric air Will he admitted to the left of the piston 24. .he diameter of thepiston 24 and the interior diameter of the cylinder adiacent this piston are slightly greater than the diameter of the piston 23 and the interior diet-deter of the cylinder adjacent thereto. lt Will therefore be apparent that the pneumatic force tendinn' Inove the Valve, (the air being exhausted froin the Chamber formed between the i'istons) will be the differential between exhaust pressure acting' upon the inner faces of the pistons and atnlospheric pressure accint;I upon the enter faces of the pis ons. .ils the faces of the piston 2-1 are of greater area then those of pisten there will be a tendeney to more the rali to the right and there fere the disc 21 Will bear lig'htly against `the edge of the paper during; the operation of the apparatus. As the duct 28 is preferably disconneoted from the source of exhanst during? the ren'indinpv of the note sheet. during rewini'ling the disc 21 will not bear against the edge of the paper, and if it contacts therewith at all it may be. pushod to the left and thereafter will not engano the odeio of the paper.

ln operationthe note sheet is inserted in the instrument in the ortlinrr Way and is attached to the take-up roll by suitable means. The note sheet thus lies across the tracker bar and in thepath of movement of the disc 21. The note sheet spool and the sheet Will be initially out of proper aligninentv9 beinsy held to the right'by the spring;` -so that the collar 7 bears'against the journal hearing; atv the leftof' thezspool bon. ln this postionthe bellowsilisvexpanded Ato' its fnllvextent. 'If now the ef;-

`minimized.

hausting apparatus is starterhthe air in the chainber formed between the two pistons Will be partially exhausted through the duot 28. r.l`his Will cause the disc 21 to be moved to the right against the edge of the note sheet. This movement to the right places the duct 27 in connection With the duct 28 and thereby exhausts air from belloWs 16h lThe collapsing of the bellows due to the exhaust of air nioves the note sheet spool and the note sheet to the left. The edge of the paper hearing` against the disc 21 is likewise moved 'to the left and moving the piston 23, closes or partially closcs port Such priniary adiustinents may be made that When the music sheet is in proper alignmentivith the tracker bar the bellows lfil Will be substantially half collapsed. Therefore as the note sheet moves to the left in response to the Collapse of tiie bcllon's 1d the piston 23 Will substantially close port 25 when the bellows is about half collapsed and the note sheet in proper alignment. ln any eif'ent the piston 23 Will. so position itself relatively to the port as to maintain the belloivs 14z in about half collapsed condition and the exhoust of air from the belloWs 1-1- through the port 25 Will be just sufiicient to make up for the leakage of atinospheric air thereto.

The note sheet having; thus been carefully positioned atA the start of the operation of the apparatus lthe manner in Which the correct alignment is maintained throughout the plaf-.iing' of a composition Will next be desoribed.

The piston 23 is of substantially the same Width as the port If non' the noto sheet foi.1 soino reason or other Wandei's to theleft out of proper alignment.y the ooi'ltrol Valve and the piston 23 n'ill also move to the left. This Will cause the opening` of port to the atmosphere. iltmospheric air beiugsthns adnlitted to the bolloree 1-1 the same n'iil expand under the action of spring' o and the music roll will be moved to the right into proper alig'nment; the disc 21 following; the 'edgze of the sheet and cu'tting' oil' the a ission of atmospheric air through port 25 slightly prior to the assuniption of the correct position;` by the note sheet.

z, n if the note sheet Wandersl to the right ont of proper aliflninent.y the miafe carryine` the piston Will also moro to the right and will open or onlargze the iczgflicningg;

of rt 25 to cxhanizit. 'llhe hello-ns 1-1.- lieil; ll further exh'znistcd causes the sonic to eollii and the music sheet sijiool therelnY restori ,cg the, alio'nment With the g moved to the leg... noi., sheet to proper tracl-:er bar.

.lt has been ,notedheretofore that means are provided Wherebythe :tendency to fray or tear the edge of the note sheet Will be Means foi' this l'ini'rpose are hereinzprovided foi' ,asfollewst VThe Valve member With its two pistons and circular disc 521 is freely rotatable within its cylindrical casing. Preferably the Valve is So mounted that VVits axis of rotation will lie without the plane of the perforated note sheet While hearing against a portionV of 'the oisc outside its axis of rotation and thereby tending to rotate the disc. This not only ininiinizes the wear upon the paper but also permits a torn portion of the edge of a note sheet to ride up upon the edge of the disc and in this way be not further torn thereby.

The operation of a tracking device such as herein described is greatly facilitated if the note sheet is correctly wound upon the note sheet spool. In the specific embodiment of this invention herein shown the operation of the tracking device is such that the note sheet will be correctly and evenly wound upon the take-up roll. Therefore if some means are pro vded to operate during the rewinding of the note sheet onto the note sheet spool, the snbsequent correct tracking of the note Sheet when it again insertod in the instrument will be grcatly facilitated.

It is desi 'able in this specific embodiment of the invention that the note sheet spool be freely inovable during the playing of a composition in order that correct lateral adjustment .may be secured at all times between he note sheet and tracker bar. Such being the case, the note sheet spool Will be out of proper alignment when the tracking device in inactive (the spool being forced to the right bv the spring 5) and if the note sheet is then rewound it may bind against a flange of the spool and be unevenly rewound thereon. If the note sheet spool is positioned in correct alignment with the take-up roll, during the rewinding of the note sheet, the note sheet mayv be evenly rewound.

Means are hercin provide/'l for accomplishing the desired results above noted and the same is shown mechanism to correctly posi,in the note sheet spool during rewinding, and operatively connected to the r*- wind lever. Pivoted at 32 above is a levei' SI A link lt connects the levei' 33 to a conventional rewind control levei' 35. lVith the parts in the position shown the instrument is in condition foi' playing and the. note sheet, during the playing of the instrunieotV s lz'cpt in correct aligmnent by the mechanism iiirei'ionsly descriln-d. llpon rewinding the note sheet it custoniary to cut off the exhaust irem the ducts leading to the tracker bar and preferably the tracking flevice previously described also thrown out of operation; it being undesirable to have any part contacting with the edge of the note sheet during the comparatively fast re- Winding operation. If, therefore, the re- Wind control levei' 35 is moved to t-he right, the lever 33 Will be rotated in a contraclockwise direction about its pivot and will contact with the lever 17 below its fulcrum 18. lVhen properly adjusted this will hold the note sheet spool approximately in the position shown in the drawings which. is substantially in alignment with the take-up roll. This will assure the proper rewinding of the note sheet.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic tracking mechanism foi' player pianos comprising, in combination, a bellows having a single port, the said port opening to an exhaust means; means operatively connected to the movable board of said bellows for effecting relative lateral adjustment of a note sheet spool and tracker bar; and a single Valve interposed between said bellows and the exhausting means including a member hearing directly against an edge of the travelling note sheet thereby to control directly the flow of air from said bellows to secure proper relative lateral adjustment of note sheet spool and tracker bar.

2. In a player piano, the combination of a tracker bar; means to pass a perforated note sheet over said tracker bar; a note sheet spool; a take-up roll; means acting upon said note sheet spool and operative during the playing of the instrument to secure correct lateral adjustment of the note sheet and the tracker bar; and means manually controlled independently of the note sheet to align the note sheet spool with the take-up roll during rewinding to cause the note sheet to be rewound in correct alignment upon the note sheet spool.

3. In a player piano the combination of an endwise adjustable music sheet spool, a tracker bar having a series of apertures therein; a note sheet having perforations to register with the apertures in the tracker bar; means including a take-up roll for passing the note sheet over the tracker bar; means operative during the playing of the instrument to laterally adjust the note sheet in proper alignment With the tracker bar and take-up roll; a rewind lever; and further means connected with the rewind levei' to align the note sheet spool and take-up roll during rewinding of the note sheet.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specifioation this 3rd day of June, 1916.

J. HERBERT CHASE. 

